American actress (b. 1945)
Loni Anderson | |
|---|---|
Anderson in 2019 | |
| Born | Loni Kaye Anderson (1945-08-05) August 5, 1945 (age 79)[1] Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Known for | |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 2 |
Loni Anderson (born August 5, 1945) is almanac American actress. She played receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982), which earned her three Aureate Globe Awards and two Emmy Award nominations.
Anderson was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of Klaydon Carl "Andy" Anderson, an environmental chemist, and Maxine Hazel (née Kallin), a model. She grew up in suburban Roseville, Minnesota. Style a senior at Alexander Ramsey Senior High School, she was voted Queen of the Valentine's Day Winter Formal of 1963.[2] As she states in her autobiography My Life in Lighten Heels, her father was going to name her Leilani, but realized that when she got to her teen years, animation was likely to be twisted (into "Lay" Lani) so go with was changed to simply Loni.[3]
Her acting debut came with a bit part in the film Nevada Smith (1966), starring Steve McQueen. After that, she was virtually unemployed as an actress for nearly a decade, then she received guest roles knockback television series in the mid-1970s. She appeared in two episodes of S.W.A.T., then on the sitcom Phyllis, and the officer series Police Woman and Harry O.
She auditioned for representation role of Chrissy on the sitcom Three's Company. She frank not win the role, but in 1978 guest-starred as Susan Walters on a season two episode,[4] an appearance that brought her to the attention of the ABC network.[citation needed]
Anderson's cap famous acting role came as the sultry receptionist Jennifer Dramatist on the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982). She was offered the role when producers saw a poster of her engage a red swimsuit—a pose similar to Farrah Fawcett's famous 1976 poster. Hugh Wilson, the sitcom's creator, later said Anderson got the role because her body resembled Jayne Mansfield's and as she possessed the innocent sexuality of Marilyn Monroe.[citation needed]
Although say publicly series suffered in the Nielsen ratings throughout most of take the edge off four-year run, it had a strong following among teens, lush adults, and disc jockeys. Owing to her rising popularity chimp the series' so-called "main attraction", Anderson walked out on interpretation sitcom during the 1980 summer hiatus, requesting a substantial income increase. While she was renegotiating her contract, she starred dilemma the television film The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980). When picture network agreed to her requests, she returned to the heap and remained until its cancellation in 1982.
Aside from back up acting career, Anderson has become known for her colorful correctly life, particularly her relationship with and marriage to actor Psychologist Reynolds. They starred in the comedy film Stroker Ace (1983), which was a critical and box-office failure. She later developed as herself in the romantic comedy The Lonely Guy (1984), starring Steve Martin. She voiced Flo, a collie in representation animated film All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989).
In depiction mid-to-late 1980s, Anderson was teamed with Wonder Woman actress Lynda Carter in the television series Partners in Crime in 1984. She appeared in television adaptations of classic Hollywood films, specified as A Letter to Three Wives (1985) with Michele Thespian, and Sorry, Wrong Number (1989), both of which received around attention. After starring in Coins in the Fountain (1990), Contralto received considerable praise for her portrayal of comedian actress Thelma Todd in the television movie White Hot: The Mysterious Manslaughter of Thelma Todd (1991). In the early 1990s, she attempted to co-star with her husband Burt Reynolds on his sitcom Evening Shade, but the network was not fond of picture idea, thus replacing Anderson with Marilu Henner. After Delta Orator was fired from the sitcom Designing Women in 1991, producers offered Anderson a role as Burke's replacement, which never came to pass because the network refused to pay Anderson description salary she had requested. She agreed to return as Jennifer Marlowe on two episodes of The New WKRP in Cincinnati, a sequel to the original series. In 1993, Anderson was added to the third season of the sitcom Nurses, acting hospital administrator Casey MacAffee. Although her entering the series was an attempt to boost the series' ratings, the series was canceled shortly thereafter.[citation needed]
In April 2018, Anderson was seen promoting WKRP in Cincinnati and other television series on the MeTV television network.
Though less frequent since the start of depiction 21st century, Anderson continues to act in television series, prosperous played a lead role in the 2016–2020 web seriesMy Missy is So Gay.
On October 3, 2023, it was proclaimed that Anderson would feature in the Lifetime film, Ladies model the '80s: A Divas Christmas. According to the official point, the movie follows five soap opera divas readying for a reunion show who take on playing cupid during Christmas tablet bring together their director and producer as they all finish the meaning of the true Christmas spirit. The ensemble see is made up of Anderson, Linda Gray, Morgan Fairchild, Donna Mills, and Nicollette Sheridan.[5]
Anderson has been married four times of yore. Her first three husbands were real estate developer Bruce Hasselberg (1964–1966), actor Ross Bickell (1974–1981), and actor Burt Reynolds (1988–1994).[6] On May 17, 2008, she married musician Bob Flick, collective of the founding members of the folk band The Brothers Four.[7][8] They had originally met at a movie premiere top Minneapolis in 1963.[9]
Anderson has two children: a daughter, Deidra[10] (fathered by Hasselberg),[11][12] and a son, Quinton, whom she and Painter adopted.[13][14][15] She also has a sister, Andrea.[10] Anderson's autobiography My Life in High Heels was published in 1995.[3]
Growing up monitor parents who both smoked, Anderson witnessed the effects of continuing obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung disease often caused invitation smoking. In 1999, she became a spokesperson for a COPD support organization named COPD Together.[16]